How The Burrow Came to Be
by The Nanny Is About
Summary: Written for NeverBeenDarkMarked's Room of Requirement challenge. Molly runs away from her supposed friend, and stumbles upon the Room of Requirement.


I ran away crying, I couldn't believe that horrid excuse of a friend just did that! How could she? She promised we'd be friends! Even if she was a Slytherin and I a Gryffindor, even if she was a Fifth Year and I a Seventh, and even is she's a Black and I'm a Prewett. Bella had always been nice to me, I met her my Third year. We instantly clicked, she was really nice to me, that's what shocked me the most. My parents told me she was a bad influence, but she wasn't, not really. Or, should I say, not until recently. Now all she talks about is Dark Magic and someone rising up to gain power.

Everyone's heard the whispers; it seems inevitable that something's coming. But, no one is stupid enough to talk about it! And, Bella, when she talks about it she gets this strange look in her eye and she has the biggest smile, a smile that shows a few to many of her teeth for my liking. She is very insistent that I go over to her house during Winter Break, to meet her parents and hear the stories. When I told her I thought she was being delusional, she went ballistic. She glared at me and proceeded to slap me across the face.

I know what everyone's thinking, many people saw it and news travels fast at Hogwarts, 'Yeah Molly, I told you so! That girl is nothing but trouble!' And they're all right; I should've known not to get involved with a Black. I slide down the wall, unable to move anymore from grief, and put my head against my knees. It isn't until five minutes later, when I hear Bella's tell-tale voice coming my way, that I look up to see a door. Not wanting to confront Bella just yet, I duck in through the doorway. I try and think of ever seeing this door before, and I can't think of a single instance where this door has been at Hogwarts. How peculiar, I do love a good mystery though. Perhaps I could bring Arthur here.

Arthur. He asked me to the last Hogsmeade weekend of Sixth Year. He's...he's...well he's hard to explain. I don't feel the need to brew a love potion for him, like I did with William Jerring, but I sometimes feel like I don't compare. I mean, here I am running away from a Dark Magic obsessed ex-friends and he's just so perfect. In everything he does, he's a gentleman, he's friends with people from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw not just Gryffindor's, he is so respectful of me, and he's nice to his parents too. He writes them letters often, even when he's annoyed with them, he writes them kind things.

I take in my surroundings for the first time, and gasp in shock. All around me is, well, clutter. There was a lovely sofa, with armchairs to match. There was a very large fireplace, too, and a wooden wireless set. And there was the strangest clock I've ever seen. It had every member of my immediate family on a hand, and pointed to various things. The hand that was for me was pointed towards school. Fabian's was at traveling and Gideon's was at work. Mother's hand was at home, and Father's was next to Fabian's, so at work.

I wandered through the house, being more and more astonished the further I went. This strange place had 6 floors, but by the time you got to the attic, the floors weren't very large. There were six bedrooms; three of them had a fireplace though not to the size of the first fireplace that I saw. The house, while cluttered, was very nice to be in. It felt, well, it felt like home. This is what I need right now, someplace away from Bella, away from Arthur, away from school, and away from my parents. Somewhere that was all my own. And I had found it!

Years later, after I had my children, I still look back on that day. I insisted Arthur build me that house, it had to be perfect. And the fool had done it; I honestly still don't know how I won that battle. To think I used to be friends with that...that psycho? I'm sure if I ever mentioned it to my kids, they'd ship my off to Saint Mungo's! Honestly, I cried over that vile woman?

There's not a doubt in my mind that whatever room that was saved me. When Bellatrix was walking towards me that day, she had snapped. After that day, I'd never seen her even hint to her calm past. After that day, she went crazy and fell under Voldemort's manipulation. The horrible thing is she was normal when I met her. I truly believe that, had she been raised by a different family, she could've been so much healthier.

It's a shame, really.


End file.
